UFC 239 takes place Saturday, July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
UFC 239 Opening Odds
Jon Jones -900
Thiago Santos +500
Amanda Nunes -345
Holly Holm +275
Ben Askren -230
Jorge Masvidal +170
Luke Rockhold -215
Jan Blachowicz +165
Michael Chiesa -275
Diego Sanchez +195
Arnold Allen -245
Gilbert Melendez +175
Claudia Gadelha -365
Randa Markos +255
Song Yadong -185
Alejandro Perez +145
Edmen Shahbazyan -380
Jack Marshman +260
Ismail Naurdiev -305
Chance Rencountre +225
Julia Avila -135
Pannie Kinazad -105
Marlon Vera -325
Nohelin Hernandez +250
And here are my initial thoughts on the UFC 239 Opening Odds:
- The main event of the evening sees Jones looking to extend his historic run with another victory over Santos. Though Santos has looked incredible since moving up to light heavyweight, it’s almost impossible to bet against Jones. Save for a DQ loss to Matt Hamill a decade ago, Jones hasn’t lost to anyone inside the Octagon and has very rarely been in any trouble. Santos has the KO power to stop anyone, but Jones has shown a good chin throughout his career and doesn’t often get tagged with big shots. Not surprisingly Jones is a massive favorite in this fight and will be a popular parlay play, though there will be some underdog action on Santos at some point.
- The co-main event should also be a great fight as Nunes looks to defend her bantamweight title against Holm. Nunes is coming off of a surprising upset KO win over Cris Cyborg and hasn’t lost in five years, destroying everyone in her path during her eight-fight win streak. Holm was dominant in a decision win over Bethe Correia her last time out but overall is just 2-4 in her last six fights and has never really lived up to the promise of her head kick KO over Ronda Rousey back in 2015. Although Holm has terrific striking, Nunes is the sharper, faster and more dangerous striker at this point of their careers, and she’s also a clear favorite here to defend her belt.
- The welterweight bout between Askren and Masvidal might as well be the “People’s Main Event” of UFC 239. Askren had a controversial submission win over Robbie Lawler in his UFC debut but overall is unbeaten in 20 MMA fights. Masvidal, meanwhile, rebounded from a long layoff with a surprising upset KO over Darren Till in his last fight. Masvidal has the clear edge in the striking in this fight and Askren has the wrestling edge, making this an intriguing bout to see how it plays out inside the cage.
- A light heavyweight bout between Rockhold and Blachowicz is very intriguing. Rockhold hasn’t fought since a KO loss to Yoel Romero in early 2018, while Blachowicz is coming off of a TKO loss to Santos. Both men have a lot to prove here, and this fight could go either way. As talented as Rockhold is, his chin has let him down numerous times in his career and Blachowicz is a very technical striker with power. This could be a dog-or-pass situation based on the opening odds.
- Rounding out the main card is a welterweight bout between Chiesa and Sanchez. Chiesa is coming off of a submission win over Carlos Condit in his first UFC fight at 170lbs while Sanchez is coming off of a vintage performance as he finished Mickey Gall with strikes. Both guys are looking to prove they are contenders in the welterweight division after flaming out at lightweight, and this is the perfect way to kick off what should be an incredible fight card.
- For my complete reactions and picks for this card, check out tomorrow’s MMAOB Daily Podcast with Adam Martin and Cole Shelton as we break down all 12 fights in full detail.
